RocketSkates

Acton RocketSkates are smart motorized skates that fit right over your shoes. Once they’ve been powered on, simply push off and the motors will take over to propel you forward. For accelerating, lean forward and for braking or stopping, put your heel down. This means that the rider has complete control over the motor without the hassle of a remote. With an app and Bluetooth connection, the skater can track their route and mileage as well as the progress of other Acton RocketSkaters in the area.

3D printing has changed the way engineers test products, allowing them to cut down on time and costs. But what about 3D printing the components that go into most of these products?

Botfactory computer engineer Carlos Ospina said that most of the people he encountered didn’t believe it was possible. But he’s proven them wrong with Squink, a portable circuit board factory that allows you to test your project in minutes in the comfort of your home — costing around $2 to print.

That’s what your cat will think, but in reality you’ve probably just installed a Kittyo, a new gadget that enables cat owners to play with their cats remotely.

Through the Kittyo app for iOS and Android, you can use the device as a laser pointer, watching your cat go bonkers chasing it. You can also record video, speak to your pet, and dispense treats through the crowdfunded pet gizmo.

The KittyoAbove: The KittyoImage Credit: KittyoAt 7 inches tall, Kittyo attaches to shelves and walls to ensure it’s impervious to your cat’s curious bats. The gadget looks a bit like a coffee machine — but it’s obviously way cooler, because it has a laser.

The eponymous pet-tech startup on Monday launched a Kickstarter campaign, which hit its $30,000 goal in an absurdly fast 36 minutes, according to the company. Five days later, the campaign total stands at $177,119 raised, nearly six times its original goal with four weeks of crowdfunding left.

“We’ve had an incredible week since we launched on Kickstarter just 5 days ago,” the Kittyo team wrote in a Kickstarter update Saturday. “With [over] 1,600 backers and more than $175,000 pledged already, we couldn’t have dreamed of a better launch. We hope we can maintain this incredible momentum for the next 27 days.”

The startup is offering Kittyos to campaign backer who plunk down at least $139 (though there are still some available a lower ‘early bird’ price). The company expects to ship Kittyo to backers in November. To learn more about Kittyo, check out the video below.

1. Set Aside Enough Time

Campaigns can be very short (as short as a day!) or stretch out over two or three months, but fundedflow, Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms suggests that 30-90 days is the perfect length for a campaign.

That said, for a considerably-sized campaign of $30,000 and above, you might want to plan to spend at least one month ahead of time preparing. Then, once the campaign begins, set aside four to five hours a day to run and manage it. The biggest mistake you could make is to go live expecting money to pour in on its own. Fundraising takes time, and effort to make it work.

What are the best tips for running a successful crowdfunding campaign for startups using www.fundedflow.com, kickstarter, indiegogo or any other crowdfunding platform

1 Put in the Required HoursCommon failure of crowdfunding campaigns is that project creators often don't realize the intense amount of work required throughout the campaign to make it successful. You will be talking, emailing, pitching, tweeting and posting all day, every day. If managing your crowdfunding campaign doesn't become your full-time job throughout the campaign, then its odds of success decrease dramatically.

Crowdfunding website IndieGoGo has flipped the switch on its promotional algorithm, which pushes campaigns to a coveted spot on its front page. The company says the algorithm adds more democracy to a human-bias driven industry.

“Like America, IndieGoGo is equal opportunity for all, but no guarantees,” said co-founder and chief executive Slava Rubin in an interview with VentureBeat.

IndieGoGo, like competitor Kickstarter, allows groups to go online, post a funding request, and accept money. Anyone, whether they have a big idea or individual project, can create a page and set a funding goal. Goals are not set in stone, however. Some competing crowdfunding websites won’t allow its users to collect promised money unless it has hit a funding goal. IndieGoGo, on the other hand, lets people choose whether to “fix” their funding to an all-or-nothing structure, or take whatever they can get.

57,609Successfully funded projects

5,768,700Total backers

1,709,406Repeat backers

13,954,293Total pledges

Entrepreneurs say new rules from the UK regulator will "take the crowd out of crowdfunding".

New policies come into effect next month concerning crowdfunding in the U.K., drawn up by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Crowdfunding leverages regular consumers who want to purchase equity or a stake in new business, usually startups. Many are hosted through popular platforms like Kickstarter, Indigogo, crowdfunder and even our own platform fundedflow. Investors, lenders and even donators usually get rewards or paybacks the amount they have “pledged”. This could be anything from T-shits, badges, tickets, CD’s or whatever is being funded as a return for support.